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The reason Jack placed his sign near a cemetery ? ONLY the DEAD would vote for this BUM...
No live person, can tell you a thing he has done for Lake Wales. Maybe the DEAD can !
Ready for Betty
Mike C.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "KKK AND JACK VAN SICKLE":
Hypocrisy has finally reared it's ugly head at Lake Ashton. When an elected CDD Supervisor embraces and defends a former Grand Dragon of the KuKluxKlan, and people accept it as "normal" behavior, then we, who have the ability to think for ourselves can surmise that there is something very wrong with a segment of our community. The message is loud and clear. NO Blacks, Jews, Muslims, or other minorities wanted here! Believe in Jesus Christ as taught by us, and our Church, or be excluded from our social circle. Think as we think, and believe as we believe, or you will be shunned and denied social advantages.
These are the same people who go to Church regularly, hold Bible Study Meetings, and engage in Prayer Groups. Hypocrites ALL!!! At least it is all out in the open now, and those of us who recognize that it is what it is can deal with it in our individual ways.
The Pontious-Van Sickle- Robinson clique embraces hatred, prejudice, and racism as surely as the sun rises in the morning. Thanks to Brenda, it's now out in the open for all to see. Residents, beware.
Hypocrisy has finally reared it's ugly head at Lake Ashton. When an elected CDD Supervisor embraces and defends a former Grand Dragon of the KuKluxKlan, and people accept it as "normal" behavior, then we, who have the ability to think for ourselves can surmise that there is something very wrong with a segment of our community. The message is loud and clear. NO Blacks, Jews, Muslims, or other minorities wanted here! Believe in Jesus Christ as taught by us, and our Church, or be excluded from our social circle. Think as we think, and believe as we believe, or you will be shunned and denied social advantages.
These are the same people who go to Church regularly, hold Bible Study Meetings, and engage in Prayer Groups. Hypocrites ALL!!! At least it is all out in the open now, and those of us who recognize that it is what it is can deal with it in our individual ways.
The Pontious-Van Sickle- Robinson clique embraces hatred, prejudice, and racism as surely as the sun rises in the morning. Thanks to Brenda, it's now out in the open for all to see. Residents, beware.
A perfect example why we need solid
Professional Leaders.
Mayor Jack VanSickle said Friday afternoon he was unaware of the chief's resignation
VanSickle.....compares his 3 speeding tickets to Grand Dragon leader of the KKK.
Statements by the Lake Wales Mayor ?
Vote for Betty Wojcik. Commissioner.
Time for a Pro to lead our community
John L Chickness Sr.
Professional Leaders.
Mayor Jack VanSickle said Friday afternoon he was unaware of the chief's resignation
VanSickle.....compares his 3 speeding tickets to Grand Dragon leader of the KKK.
Statements by the Lake Wales Mayor ?
Vote for Betty Wojcik. Commissioner.
Time for a Pro to lead our community
John L Chickness Sr.
Is comparing a member of the Klan to that of someone who got traffic tickets a valid comparison? .
Is comparing a member of the Klan to that of someone who got traffic tickets a valid comparison?
It appears that many have forgotten the history of the United Klans of America (UKA).
According to Wikipeda …”United Klans of America Inc. a Ku Klux Klan organization in the United States … UKA peaked in popularity in the late 1960s and 1970s, and was the most violent was the largest Klan organization of its time…”
Mr Rodgers proudly proclaims he was a Grand Dragon in the UKA.
Wikipeda states that “…A "Grand Dragon", for example, was the highest ranking Klansman in a given state….”
Wikipeda states that “…A "Grand Dragon", for example, was the highest ranking Klansman in a given state….”
Mr Rodgers claims to have left the UKA nearly 25 years ago, which would be around the 1976 timeframe. The following are a few nationally known events in history that took place during Mr. Rodgers affiliation with the AKU:
· The 1963 16th Street Bombing that killed 4 young girls
· The 1965 murder of Viola Liuzzo, a white woman from the North, decided to go help support racial equality in the South.
· During “…1960s, the Klans functioned as a clandestine movement that spearheaded the resistance to a national trend toward equality for all Americans. Like their predecessors, the `60s Klans employed terrorism and a form of guerrilla race warfare to carry out their purposes. The Klans and their allies were responsible for a major portion of the assaults, killings, bombings, floggings, and other acts of racial intimidation that swept the South in the first years of the 1960s..”
Mr Rodgers states that if by being against communism, against drugs, and in favor of States rights was wrong, then he was wrong.
However, Mr Rodgers refusal to address the violent history of the UKA, an organization that he not only belonged but held its highest office, surmounts to nothing more but a strong tacit endorsement and support of the violent nature of the UKA and how it used violence to promote the UKA's goals and objectives.
How can one compare a speeding ticket to that of someone who held the highest office in the AKU, an organization that endorsed terrorism, assaults, killings, bombings, floggings and other acts of racial intimidation and then applaud?
It seems that Jack Van Sickle, and supporters of Van Sickle and Rodgers, embrace the radical and violent views and methods that Mr. Rodgers refuses to denounce or talk about.
However, Mr Rodgers refusal to address the violent history of the UKA, an organization that he not only belonged but held its highest office, surmounts to nothing more but a strong tacit endorsement and support of the violent nature of the UKA and how it used violence to promote the UKA's goals and objectives.
How can one compare a speeding ticket to that of someone who held the highest office in the AKU, an organization that endorsed terrorism, assaults, killings, bombings, floggings and other acts of racial intimidation and then applaud?
It seems that Jack Van Sickle, and supporters of Van Sickle and Rodgers, embrace the radical and violent views and methods that Mr. Rodgers refuses to denounce or talk about.
Isn't it time for a change within our City Government?
Vote for Mike Carter for Mayor and Betty Wojcik for City Commissioner YES to Amendments 1 through 8 and NO on Amendments 9 through 14, on 5 April 2011
People for an Honest Place to Live http://lakeashtontherestofthestory.blogspot.com/2011/03/is-comparing-member-of-klan-to-that-of.html
Split vote for
new ethics policy
Three to two, policy passes
By BILL RETTEW JR.
Staff Writer
Commissioners hammered out an enhanced city ordinance setting more stringent ethics standards following a second reading and public hearing at Tuesday’s meeting.The Board of Commissioners reached a consensus Tuesday, and after a 3-2 vote, the new policy will become a city ordinance.
The meeting agenda packet included a proposed ordinance prepared in part by City Attorney Chuck Galloway who surveyed comments made by commissioners during the first reading.
The new ordinance includes a prohibition of voting conflicts.
Galloway told commissioners, Tuesday, that the revised ordinance was “significantly less restrictive” with changes that ban a commissioner from voting on an issue when they are a member of a board from an entity voted upon.
Whether the ordinance designed for city staff, commissioners and board members will have any “teeth” for enforcement was yet to be decided.
Commissioners Terrye Howell and Mike Carter continued to maintain that the new ethics policy was ”way over the top,” although both supported ethical conduct. Both were on the losing side of the 3-2 vote.
Carter supported a 18-month long “cooling-off period” for commissioners between time spent serving on a committee and voting. Carter talked about receiving gifts.
“I’m not sure how we can legislate what other people do,” said Carter.
“If adopted, the ordinance will require an amendment to provide for enforcement and for authority to interpret and apply its provision,” reads Economic Director Harold Gallup’s memo included with the packet.
Commissioners also set stronger standards for employees, board and committee members and the board concerning gifts. “A city commissioner, appointed official or employee, shall be prohibited from accepting a gift of any value from a person or entity transacting business with the city,” reads the Galloway suggested ordinance.
The commissioners also considered language that would prevent a city commissioner, appointed official or officer, or employee to attempt to use his or her position to “secure privileges, exemptions, or other benefits.”
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Split vote for
new ethics policy
Three to two, policy passes
By BILL RETTEW JR.
Staff Writer
Commissioners hammered out an enhanced city ordinance setting more stringent ethics standards following a second reading and public hearing at Tuesday’s meeting.The Board of Commissioners reached a consensus Tuesday, and after a 3-2 vote, the new policy will become a city ordinance.
The meeting agenda packet included a proposed ordinance prepared in part by City Attorney Chuck Galloway who surveyed comments made by commissioners during the first reading.
The new ordinance includes a prohibition of voting conflicts.
Galloway told commissioners, Tuesday, that the revised ordinance was “significantly less restrictive” with changes that ban a commissioner from voting on an issue when they are a member of a board from an entity voted upon.
Whether the ordinance designed for city staff, commissioners and board members will have any “teeth” for enforcement was yet to be decided.
Commissioners Terrye Howell and Mike Carter continued to maintain that the new ethics policy was ”way over the top,” although both supported ethical conduct. Both were on the losing side of the 3-2 vote.
Carter supported a 18-month long “cooling-off period” for commissioners between time spent serving on a committee and voting. Carter talked about receiving gifts.
“I’m not sure how we can legislate what other people do,” said Carter.
“If adopted, the ordinance will require an amendment to provide for enforcement and for authority to interpret and apply its provision,” reads Economic Director Harold Gallup’s memo included with the packet.
Commissioners also set stronger standards for employees, board and committee members and the board concerning gifts. “A city commissioner, appointed official or employee, shall be prohibited from accepting a gift of any value from a person or entity transacting business with the city,” reads the Galloway suggested ordinance.
The commissioners also considered language that would prevent a city commissioner, appointed official or officer, or employee to attempt to use his or her position to “secure privileges, exemptions, or other benefits.”
Mayoral candidate Rogers on the fence
By BILL RETTEW JR.
Staff Writer
Not even mayoral candidate John Paul Rogers knows whether he will show for any of the three upcoming voter forums or “debates.”Ed Bowlin, a spokesman for Rogers sent an e-mail to the Lake Wales News Thursday, that suggested Rogers would skip the “debates.” Later that day, another Rogers supporter, Wes Rogers (no relation) visited the newspaper office to say John Paul Rogers would attend.
John Paul Rogers said Thursday that he would no longer speak with reporters from the Lake Wales News, but later that day commented on the remaining forums.
“If the hair on my head knew what I was going to do, I’d cut it off,” said the 70-year old downtown barber. “I don’t know what I’m liable to do.”
Rogers is running for mayor against fellow commissioner Mike Carter.
Carter hopes Rogers will attend the three upcoming forums.
“It’s unfortunate for the voters because they will not be able to directly hear his views on the issues,” said Carter. “I hope that he will reconsider.”
During the most recent forum, Rogers’ role as former Grand Dragon of the hate-group, United Klans of America, was questioned by an audience member.
Lake Ashton resident Barbara Salvin asked the four candidates whether the former Klan head was a good choice for mayor. Mayor Jack Van Sickle replied that everyone had something in their past that they were not proud of.
Rogers then refused to renounce his past Klan association when asked to by Carter and the two candidates for mayor argued following the forum.
The next debate is schedule for Thursday, March 24, by the Citizens for Good Government.
Former Mayor Cliff Tonjes moderated the March 10 forum sponsored by the same organization. During that forum, no public comment was allowed.
Tonjes said earlier this week that the public will not be able to directly ask the candidates questions at the March 24 debate. Tonjes said he wanted to prevent the upcoming forum from becoming negative like the Sunday event did.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Lake Wales Manager Forces Police Chief Herb Gillis to Quit
Judy Delmar demands Herb Gillis' resignation, says decision unrelated to strife with minority community..
Published: Friday, February 11, 2011 at 11:11 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, February 11, 2011 at 11:11 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, February 11, 2011 at 11:11 p.m.
LAKE WALES | Police Chief Herbert Gillis was forced to resign abruptly Friday afternoon because the city manager did not like the way he was running the Police Department.
Click to enlarge
Herb Gillis
"There have been issues, and there has been a lot of stress internally," City Manager Judy Delmar said. "He offered his resignation, and I accepted."
Neither Delmar nor Gillis would discuss the details of what led to his dismissal.
Gillis, 39, said he chose to resign.
"I'm disappointed to know that my job performance didn't live up to the expectations of the city manager," he said, "and for that reason, I tendered my resignation.
"I wish the best for the department and for the Lake Wales community," he said. "Now my focus will be moving forward to find a means to support my family."
Delmar said Gillis' termination was not related to his decision to fire Burney Hayes, a former sergeant with the department who had a history of policy violations.
It also was not related to the way Gillis has handled issues with the Lake Wales branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, she said. The NAACP has supported Hayes, who is black, in his attempt to retain his job.
Those issues led the federal Department of Justice to intervene in December 2009 to forge an understanding between the city and the NAACP.
"This issue dealt strictly with internal problems with the department," she said.
Mayor Jack VanSickle said Friday afternoon he was aware of the chief's resignation but hadn't had a chance to talk with Delmar about the situation.
City Commissioner Michael Carter said he was not sure what had happened. "I have to say I didn't see that coming."
That traffic stop, Carter said, created problems with the entire African-American community.
"Yes, there are some issues that haven't been resolved but I don't think they are unresolvable," he said.
City Commissioner Terrye Howell said she also was surprised by the announcement.
"I didn't question it," she said. "But I was shocked. I was not expecting it. I'm assuming he had something larger in mind."
David Smith, president of the local Lake Wales NAACP chapter, said he hoped with Gillis' resignation things in Lake Wales will "come back to where they should be."
Gillis, a Lake Wales native, is married and has three young daughters.
He joined the Lake Wales department in October 1994 as a patrol officer. He was promoted through the ranks and named police chief in July 2004.
He was being paid $76,000 annually as chief.
Assistant Chief Christopher Velasquez was named interim chief Friday, Delmar said, and his pay will be increased about 5 percent to $75,000 a year while he's in that position.
[ Suzie Schottelkotte can be reached at suzie.schottelkotte@theledger.com or 863-533-9070. Mary Hurst can be reached at mary.hurst@newschief.com or 863-421-5577. ]
Lake Wales Still Tallying Losses From Theft
Click to enlarge
Officials lower estimates of losses from illegal electronic withdrawals, but total is still likely at least $450,000.
Published: Friday, December 10, 2010 at 3:59 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, December 10, 2010 at 3:59 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, December 10, 2010 at 3:59 a.m.
LAKE WALES | Lake Wales may not have lost as much as was initially estimated in a recent computer theft of funds from city accounts.
Click to enlarge
Gillis
Since discovering the problem, Pendergrass has locked down all the city‘s accounts, and only she has the authority to manually approve payments. The city is enhancing its security measures, she said in a memo to city commissioners, and will replace the existing accounts with new ones.
Gillis said it could take several weeks for investigators to track down the theft. He declined to say whether the money was transferred to a single account or multiple accounts, and whether the money went to international funds.
When the theft was discovered, Delmar said she called the city commissioners individually last week and told them about the situation in confidence to protect the investigation.
On Thursday, Mayor Jack Van Sickle called a special meeting of the commission to address allegations that some commissioners had been discussing the case publicly, and specifically, the amount that was taken.
Commissioner Michael Carter said he felt the public had a right to know about the theft and how the city was handling it.
"More than half a million dollars has been taken from this city, and the citizens have a right to know that happened, and how it happened," he said during Thursday's meeting. "Citizens have a right to know that their money has been stolen. To try to hide and cover that up — I won't be a part of that."
Van Sickle said he agreed, but said that right shouldn't come at the expense of the criminal investigation.
"This is not public information we are keeping back," he said. "It's part of the investigation. We can't go out and be cowboys. When the city manager says please don't do it, we have to respect that."
Police Chief Herb Gillis told city commissioners Thursday the estimated loss totals $450,000. Initially, city administrators said more than $500,000 was pulled from city accounts through electronic withdrawals.
The city is trying to pin down the amount that was taken, City Manager Judy Delmar said. On Thursday, city administrators learned they have halted a pending transaction for an estimated $100,000, which lowered the estimated loss to about $450,000.
"What's happened here is the city has become the victim of identity theft," Gillis said.
But officials aren't any closer to identifying who might have taken the funds, or where the money went.
An accountant in the city's finance department discovered two withdrawals on Nov. 30 that appeared suspicious. Finance Director Dorothy Pendergrass contacted CenterState Bank and confirmed the accountant's suspicions, launching an investigation into the theft.
Delmar said Thursday the funds came from a general operating account, which still has about $2 million in it. She said the city has insurance coverage for theft up to $500,000, and in the meantime, the lost revenue won't put the city in financial peril.
Gillis said the State Attorney's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are working with his department on the investigation.
"We're looking internally in the city and at the bank," he said, "and externally, as well."
He said they haven't eliminated anyone or group as suspects.
KKK AND JACK VAN SICKLE
Lake Wales Candidates Heat Up Forum Over One's Klan Involvement
John Paul Rogers
Published: Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 11:37 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 11:37 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 11:37 p.m.
LAKE WALES | Two city commissioners nearly came to blows during a candidates' forum after John Paul Rogers' history with a Klan organization came up in a question, witnesses said.
Mayor Jack Van Sickle said he stood between Commissioners Mike Carter and Rogers as the two exchanged words face-to-face Sunday night. Carter and Rogers are running for a one-year term as mayor in the April 5 election.
In Lake Wales, the mayor is elected from among the sitting commissioners.
All three were at a candidates' forum Sunday night at the Lake Ashton subdivision.
The ruckus started after a woman in the audience asked: What was Rogers' affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan and how did he think it would affect his ability to represent Lake Wales as mayor?
Van Sickle, who is running for re-election to the City Commission, said the room got so quiet "you could hear a pin drop."
In response, witnesses said, Rogers clarified he once belonged to the United Klans of America, not the KKK, and that it was in the past. Rogers left the Klan nearly 25 years ago, he said.
Carter said he suggested to Rogers that it was an opportunity to apologize for his affiliation with the United Klans of America or for anything the group did to harm race relations in Lake Wales.
Rogers responded that if being against communism, against drugs, and in favor of states' rights was wrong, then he was wrong, according to Howard Kay, a local lawyer who was present at the meeting. Kay is president of Unity-in-Community, a local group dedicated to creating harmony among Lake Wales residents.
He's never denied he was a member," Carter said. "He's clearly not ready to renounce it."
Van Sickle's answer to the question was that every person has something in their past they aren't proud of, and gave the example of three speeding tickets he had.
"We should judge people on what they've done for the city, not on what they've done in the past," Van Sickle said.
After the questioning, Kay said, Rogers walked over to Carter and got face-to-face with him with clenched fists.
"Mike didn't do anything to aggravate the situation," Kay said.
But Van Sickle's wife, Brenda, who has been managing her husband's campaign, said many people told her after seeing Carter's behavior at the forum that they favored Rogers.
"John Paul conducted himself like a gentleman," she said.
By all accounts, the two did exchange heated words.
Some voters who elected Rogers to the City Commission three years ago didn't know then that he had once been the Florida Grand Dragon of the United Klans of America.
Rogers, 70, joined the Klans in 1963 or 1964, according to what he told Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents seeking historical information on the Klan in 2005.
In 1988, the United Klans group went bankrupt after the Southern Poverty Law Center in Alabama won a $7 million judgment for the family of a man who had been lynched several years earlier.
All of United Klan's assets were seized, and Rogers retired, according to an interview he gave three years.
On Thursday, Rogers said he doesn't discuss it after all of these years.
"I've served in public service and never held any group over any other," Rogers said. "I'll let the record speak for itself."
Rogers served for six years on the Lake Wales Zoning Board of Appeals before being elected to a three-year term on the City Commission.
Carter said that as long as that's true, this will continue to be an issue.
Bingo and Pot Luck with the scam people. the Pontious
Bingo and Pot Luck is run and controlled by the Pontious. They are not, I repeat, they are not responsible people with brains to run these games and Pot Luck. They pocket money for their own use yet, people from our community still go. How dumb can they be. They are pretty dumb to vote for the idiots on the HOA. This community is indeed going down hill. No many brainy people are located here at Lake Ashton.
Yes, I used to play Bingo every Monday and go to Pot luck once every month. ONCE I FOUND OUT THAT THIS IDIOT WAS STEALING OUR WINNINGS FROM BINGO I STOP GOING TO BINGO AND POT LUCK. NOW THEY ARE STEALING MONEY FROM THE POT LUCK PEOPLE. NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE TO BRING FOOD BUT YOU HAVE TO PAY $2.00.00 I AM NO FOOL, BUT THERE ARE FOOLS IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT LOVES TO GET ROBBED. PLEASE TELL ME WHERE YOU LIVE SO I CAN ENJOY MYSELF AND MY FRIENDS TO YOUR MONEY.
LETS TELL THEM WHERE WE STAND, SELL YOUR HOME PONTIOUS AND GET OUT WHILE THE GOING IS GOOD. AND YOU MR IDIOT, PAUL PONTIOUS STOP SENDING LETTERS ( received 2 already) TO MY WIFE TELLING HER TO LEAVE ME . YOU ARE AS DUMB AS THEY GET. YOU ARE A IDIOT AND JUST PLAIN DUMB. STICK TO YOUR MICROPHONE REPAIR BY PRESSING THE ON SWITCH. THAT'S ALL YOU ARE CAPABLE OF DOING.
Yes, I used to play Bingo every Monday and go to Pot luck once every month. ONCE I FOUND OUT THAT THIS IDIOT WAS STEALING OUR WINNINGS FROM BINGO I STOP GOING TO BINGO AND POT LUCK. NOW THEY ARE STEALING MONEY FROM THE POT LUCK PEOPLE. NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE TO BRING FOOD BUT YOU HAVE TO PAY $2.00.00 I AM NO FOOL, BUT THERE ARE FOOLS IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT LOVES TO GET ROBBED. PLEASE TELL ME WHERE YOU LIVE SO I CAN ENJOY MYSELF AND MY FRIENDS TO YOUR MONEY.
LETS TELL THEM WHERE WE STAND, SELL YOUR HOME PONTIOUS AND GET OUT WHILE THE GOING IS GOOD. AND YOU MR IDIOT, PAUL PONTIOUS STOP SENDING LETTERS ( received 2 already) TO MY WIFE TELLING HER TO LEAVE ME . YOU ARE AS DUMB AS THEY GET. YOU ARE A IDIOT AND JUST PLAIN DUMB. STICK TO YOUR MICROPHONE REPAIR BY PRESSING THE ON SWITCH. THAT'S ALL YOU ARE CAPABLE OF DOING.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Vote for Betty Wojick
With the State of our economy attempting to reverse the negative trend in Business Growth and Citizens Welfare, we must be certain we elect those who will guide the community to a much better place than what we have experienced in the past 4 years.
The time is now to bring in leadership who’s agenda is to do more than just talk about improvements in every
Area of government and explain the method in which that can be accomplished.
After meeting with Betty Wojcik , candidate for Lake Wales City Commission Seat 4, District 27N , and hearing the many positive approaches she has for the betterment of Lake Wales , I am convinced she is the proven leader who can get the job done.
Not only is Betty Wojcik the present Executive Director of the Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce, but in reviewing her background in her field of leadership she has excelled in every commerce and community
Development position she has held for the past 35 years.
When one reads of Bettys credentials in Economic Development Management, we find a leader who will not only strive to improve Lake Wales City Business Development , but one who believes in PEOPLE who she is ready to listen to with open arms. The citizens of Lake Wales certainly deserve no less from their leaders !
On April 5th, please make certain we not longer vote for those who wish to remain as status quo. Vote for proven leaders like Betty Wojick for Lake Wales City Commission.
Sincerely,
John L Chickness Sr.
Former Lake Ashton 1 CDD Supervisor
JACK VAN SICKLE
BIG JACK HAS JOIN FORCES WITH THE KKK, JOHN PAUL ROGERS WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO NEXT BESIDES CALL THE COPS OR FIRED THEM. QUIT JACK, GO HOME AND WATCH CARTOONS ON TV YOU ARE A LOSER.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Jack Van Sickle
JACK VAN SICKLE ELECTION SIGNS ARE NOT WELCOME IN SOME AREAS IN LAKE WALES. IT SEEMS HIS HELPERS PLACED HIS SIGN NEAR A CEMETERY. THIS SIGN WAS QUICKLY REMOVED. THIS IS NOT A PLACE FOR ELECTION SIGNS.
AT THE MEETING ON SUNDAY, JACK VAN SICKLE SAID HE GOT 3 SPEEDING TICKETS WHEN HE WAS YOUNG. JOHN PAUL ROGERS WAS HEAD OF THE CLAN. WHAT JACK VAN SICKLE WAS SAYING IS THAT WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES WHEN WE WERE YOUNG. ALL SHOULD BE FORGIVEN.
HAY, I SHOT MY WIFE BUT I WAS YOUNG, I SHOULD BE FORGIVEN, RIGHT! JACK, THE SICKLE GUY IS OUT OF HIS MIND TO SUPPORT THE KKK WHEN IN FACT LAKE WALES HAS A LARGE POPULATION OF BLACKS. JACK HAS GOT TO GO. WE SHOULD CHECK HIS HOME, HE PROBABLY HAS A DOZEN WHITE ROBES WITH HOODS WITH TWO HOLES.
AT THE MEETING ON SUNDAY, JACK VAN SICKLE SAID HE GOT 3 SPEEDING TICKETS WHEN HE WAS YOUNG. JOHN PAUL ROGERS WAS HEAD OF THE CLAN. WHAT JACK VAN SICKLE WAS SAYING IS THAT WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES WHEN WE WERE YOUNG. ALL SHOULD BE FORGIVEN.
HAY, I SHOT MY WIFE BUT I WAS YOUNG, I SHOULD BE FORGIVEN, RIGHT! JACK, THE SICKLE GUY IS OUT OF HIS MIND TO SUPPORT THE KKK WHEN IN FACT LAKE WALES HAS A LARGE POPULATION OF BLACKS. JACK HAS GOT TO GO. WE SHOULD CHECK HIS HOME, HE PROBABLY HAS A DOZEN WHITE ROBES WITH HOODS WITH TWO HOLES.
Paul Pontious
Paul Pontious has destroyed this community. He Stole the Bingo game from Jessie Ayres, Told him a pack of lies now he his telling us the same. Now he is stealing money from the Bingo Players, the State and the Feds by not paying Taxes. You people are still going to Bingo. You are totally insane. Took all his Bingo friends and others to dinner by bus. He is now also called the Microphone Kid. Did you see him getting that Mike in order at the candidates forum.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Jack Van Sickle trying to get the spanish vote. click to view
Can't blame the Guy, no white person or no black person in their right mind would vote for this guy. He got to get someone. This is his last hope. He has called the cops on all his friends and now those cops are no longer on the force. He should try the KKK, he might have better luck.
GET RID OF THE MANAGEMENT, THE DEVELOPER, MX, JOE HUNTER AND ALL HIS CLONES, AND JUNE YOUNG AND HAVE US MANAGE THE RESTAURANT, CLUBHOUSE, ACTIVITIES, AND BINGO. WE COULD SAVE WELL OVER $250,000.00 A YEAR AND SPEND IT ON IMPROVING THIS COMMUNITY. WE COULD LOWERED THE MAINTENANCE FEES BY $300 TO $400.
WE DON'T NEED DUMMIES RUNNING THIS COMMUNITY, AND THIS MY FRIENDS WE HAVE, AND MAKE NO BONES ABOUT IT. THEY ARE SCREWING US LIKE HELL AND THERE IS NO END IN SIGHT. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES BELOW ON HOW WERE GETTING SCREWED.
EDMUND W. KING
PUBLISHER OF THE TRUTH, LAKEASHTONTALK BLOG
WE DON'T NEED DUMMIES RUNNING THIS COMMUNITY, AND THIS MY FRIENDS WE HAVE, AND MAKE NO BONES ABOUT IT. THEY ARE SCREWING US LIKE HELL AND THERE IS NO END IN SIGHT. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES BELOW ON HOW WERE GETTING SCREWED.
EDMUND W. KING
PUBLISHER OF THE TRUTH, LAKEASHTONTALK BLOG
We are screw again by Joe Hunter and the developer
Joe Hunter is getting paid by us, but he has an office at Vienna Square owned by the developer in Winter Haven and travels there every day. Also he travels to another community across from Cypress Woods in Lake Wales. Yes, you and I are getting screwed and our dumb CDD whom you elected does nothing to control Joe Hunter or the developer. All "do nothing" Joe Hunter does here is nothing except on Monday morning he raises his right hand for $130,000.00 a year. What a rip off! This community has got to be the dumbest community here in Florida. Thanks to the CDD board Carol, Brenda and Jake, the snake Eaton. What a crew of dummies. None of these people have any good education except high school. Wake up residents, where in hell are you??????
Monday, March 14, 2011
Lake Ashton, community of Demons
THE INSURANCE CO GOT RIP OFF, THE RESIDENTS GOT RIP OFF. THE DEVELOPER WALK AWAY HAPPY. HE MADE A FOOL OUT OF ALL THE RESIDENTS OF LAKE ASHTON. BUT YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE HERE AT LAKE ASHTON JUST DON'T CARE. THEY ARE LOADED WITH MONEY AND THEY ONLY READ COMIC BOOKS AND WATCH TV.
LAKE ASHTON IS THE BIGGEST, DISHONEST COMMUNITY IN FLORIDA. PROVE ME WRONG.
LAKE ASHTON IS THE BIGGEST, DISHONEST COMMUNITY IN FLORIDA. PROVE ME WRONG.
WHERE IS THE FIREPLACE LOCATED???????
IT IS LOCATED ON THE ROOF. THAT'S WHAT THEY SAID! A FOOL IS BORN EVERY SECOND.
Developer Larry Maxwell walked away with all the Ins money.
Hurricane Charlie did $577,824.00 damage to the Clubhouse back in 2004. He wanted to start the repairs ASAP so the CDD gave him $200,000 to start the repairs. He made all the repairs but never gave back the $200,000 he took from the CDD. Not only that, he said that their were $40,000 of damage to the bowling alley. When in fact no damage was ever done to the bowling alley. This is the biggest rip off here at Lake Ashton. He stole our money plus the Insurance money .
John Chickness is looking into fraud scam. The developer has taken the rich residents money, people here just don't give a damn, Think this blog is full of bull, they just let this go by without saying a word, what the hell is wrong with you. THE DUMMIES NOW ON THE CDD ARE TOO BUSY LOOKING NICE AND PRETTY AND WITH THEIR NOSE UP IN THE AIR. HOW IN HELL DID THOSE CDD MEMBERS GET ELECTED. THEY KNOW NOTHING AND DO NOTHING. THEY'RE ARE BUSY WITH THEIR MAKE-UP.
He stole the Insurance money and spend the CDD money on the repairs and never paid them back. How dumb can the CDD be? Give me a break Wake up people and use your noggin. ATTORNEYS ARE NOW LOOKING INTO THIS SCAM.
John Chickness is looking into fraud scam. The developer has taken the rich residents money, people here just don't give a damn, Think this blog is full of bull, they just let this go by without saying a word, what the hell is wrong with you. THE DUMMIES NOW ON THE CDD ARE TOO BUSY LOOKING NICE AND PRETTY AND WITH THEIR NOSE UP IN THE AIR. HOW IN HELL DID THOSE CDD MEMBERS GET ELECTED. THEY KNOW NOTHING AND DO NOTHING. THEY'RE ARE BUSY WITH THEIR MAKE-UP.
He stole the Insurance money and spend the CDD money on the repairs and never paid them back. How dumb can the CDD be? Give me a break Wake up people and use your noggin. ATTORNEYS ARE NOW LOOKING INTO THIS SCAM.
Vote for Betty Wojick
As a resident of Lake Wales, and Lake Ashton Community since 2002 , I have followed closely the elections, for Mayor and Commissioners.
With the State of our economy attempting to reverse the negative trend in Business Growth and Citizens Welfare, we must be certain we elect those who will guide the community to a much better place than what we have experienced in the past 4 years.
The time is now to bring in leadership who’s agenda is to do more than just talk about improvements in every
Area of government and explain the method in which that can be accomplished.
After meeting with Betty Wojcik , candidate for Lake Wales City Commission Seat 4, District 27N , and hearing the many positive approaches she has for the betterment of Lake Wales , I am convinced she is the proven leader who can get the job done.
Not only is Betty Wojcik the present Executive Director of the Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce, but in reviewing her background in her field of leadership she has excelled in every commerce and community
Development position she has held for the past 35 years.
When one reads of Bettys credentials in Economic Development Management, we find a leader who will not only strive to improve Lake Wales City Business Development , but one who believes in PEOPLE who she is ready to listen to with open arms. The citizens of Lake Wales certainly deserve no less from their leaders !
On April 5th, please make certain we not longer vote for those who wish to remain as status quo. Vote for proven leaders like Betty Wojick for Lake Wales City Commission.
Sincerely,
John L Chickness Sr.
Former Lake Ashton 1 CDD Supervisor
With the State of our economy attempting to reverse the negative trend in Business Growth and Citizens Welfare, we must be certain we elect those who will guide the community to a much better place than what we have experienced in the past 4 years.
The time is now to bring in leadership who’s agenda is to do more than just talk about improvements in every
Area of government and explain the method in which that can be accomplished.
After meeting with Betty Wojcik , candidate for Lake Wales City Commission Seat 4, District 27N , and hearing the many positive approaches she has for the betterment of Lake Wales , I am convinced she is the proven leader who can get the job done.
Not only is Betty Wojcik the present Executive Director of the Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce, but in reviewing her background in her field of leadership she has excelled in every commerce and community
Development position she has held for the past 35 years.
When one reads of Bettys credentials in Economic Development Management, we find a leader who will not only strive to improve Lake Wales City Business Development , but one who believes in PEOPLE who she is ready to listen to with open arms. The citizens of Lake Wales certainly deserve no less from their leaders !
On April 5th, please make certain we not longer vote for those who wish to remain as status quo. Vote for proven leaders like Betty Wojick for Lake Wales City Commission.
Sincerely,
John L Chickness Sr.
Former Lake Ashton 1 CDD Supervisor
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Jack Van Sickle
Jack Van Sickle says to forgive this guy for being the Grand Dragon of the KKK. What the hell is wrong with this guy? Get rid of him ASAP. Vote for Betty Wojcik
Please read the following articles on John Paul Rogers
Frank Ota invited him to his veterans meeting and thinks highly of him. Man is this place going down hill.
Please read the following articles on John Paul Rogers
Frank Ota invited him to his veterans meeting and thinks highly of him. Man is this place going down hill.
KLAN John Paul Rogers
Tags: Howard Kay, John Paul Rogers, KKK, Ku Klux Klan, Lake Wales, NAACP, Tony Otte
Lake Wales Commissioner has History in Ku Klux Klan
Posted on 08 September 2009 by Heath.Whiteaker
John Paul Rogers, at right in foreground, meets with other Ku Klux Klan members in this undated photo. Rogers was a klan member for almost 25 years, including time as grand dragon of Florida
“It’s embarrassing,” says lawyer Howard Kay, one of the town’s few Jewish residents. “I’m a very liberal person, but I don’t think anybody would want this type of person on the City Commission.”
Rogers, a barber, gun dealer and real estate broker, was elected last year with the help of a black friend and an unusually large number of absentee ballots.
Now 68, with a bit of a paunch framed by blue suspenders, he appears far different from the hooded figure once feared by Lake Wales’ black citizens. His supporters, including the mayor, say he has been a hard-working commissioner who is always polite and fair.
Even his detractors say he comes across as soft-spoken, charming, even gentlemanly.
But they also note that Rogers has never renounced his racist past. Talk of a recall has begun, fueled by concern that the last thing a Southern town needs as it struggles to attract new businesses is a city government that includes an ex-leader of the Ku Klux Klan.
“I think his background is a major issue,” says Jessica Bray, who moved from Connecticut a few years ago to open a restaurant and bed-and-breakfast. “It tells me about someone’s judgment and values, and those are not the judgments and values I want overseeing my town.”
New image for klan
Acquitted in 1980 of beating up a group of dissident klan members, Rogers has never been implicated in other violence. But he spent nearly 25 years in an organization that dates to the chaotic aftermath of the Civil War, when white “night riders” in the South began killing and terrorizing newly freed blacks.
The KKK was disbanded by federal law in the 1870s, then sprang back to life after World War I as blacks and immigrants challenged Northern whites for factory jobs. The klan also flourished in Florida, where resistance to unionization and school desegregation boosted membership as high as 30,000 by 1957.
Rogers joined the klan around 1964, the year of the landmark Civil Rights Act.
“I don’t discuss anything in the past at all,” he now says. “I have a hard enough time keeping up with today and tomorrow.”
But a few years ago, Rogers did talk — to state agents investigating the unsolved 1951 bombing in Brevard County that killed the executive director of the Florida NAACP and his wife.
Rogers, who was 11 at the time, said he knew nothing about the case except what he had read. He acknowledged there had been “a lot of bombing and violence” in Florida in the ’40s and ’50s, but blamed it largely on “some renegades” within the klan.
“Mr. Rogers continued by saying that while he was the state head, there was a push for a more positive image of the KKK and not one of being involved in inappropriate or violent activities,” the agents wrote in their report.
As grand dragon, Rogers traveled throughout Florida. He once spoke to a class taught by Darryl Paulson, a now-retired University of South Florida professor and an expert on the klan.
“A lot of (students) thought he’d come in and espouse some very racist views, but he didn’t do that in a classroom setting,” Paulson recalls. “He was asked a lot of tough questions and he gave very simplistic responses. It showed through — at least to the better students — that a lot was missing.”
In researching the klan, Paulson attended a few meetings. There, Rogers’ rhetoric was very different.
“He frequently spoke of “n——” and made reference to people with thick lips and watermelons,” Paulson says. “As far as I know, he didn’t engage in violent behavior, but I know they had a number of rallies throughout Central Florida, including over to the Tampa Bay area.”
In 1983, Rogers incorporated a sportsmen’s club whose directors included “Bob Shelton of Tuscaloosa, Ala.” To outsiders he was better known as Robert Shelton, grand wizard of the United Klans of America, the nation’s largest and most violent Klan faction.
“I think he was a truly evil man,” Morris Dees, founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said in Shelton’s New York Times obituary six years ago.
The center represented the mother of Michael Donald, a black teenager beaten to death by klan members and hanged from a tree in Mobile, Ala. In 1987, a federal jury awarded her a $7 million judgment against the United Klans of America.
The verdict bankrupted the organization and ended Shelton’s klan activism. Rogers’, too.
“I retired,” he told the Lakeland Ledger.
‘People got snookered’
In the ’90s, Rogers ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state and the state House. More recently, he served on Lake Wales’ zoning appeals board, positioning himself to run for City Commission on a platform of fiscal prudence.
Many newcomers were unaware of Rogers’ klan history. He didn’t mention it. And some of those who knew didn’t bring it up because they never thought he would win.
“I went to a candidate forum and I feel I let myself down by not asking: Do you still have the same racist views? Will you tell the black community you’re sorry?” says Kay, the Jewish lawyer.
“But nobody raised that as a question. It’s embarrassing to those of us who care that we didn’t make it known.”
In regular balloting, Rogers’ 179 votes put him third in a field of four. But he got 282 absentee votes — 43 percent of the total and far more than any other candidate. Word had it that he was helped by a black friend, 79-year-old Booker Young, who purportedly encouraged many elderly blacks to request absentee ballots and vote for Rogers.
“Half of them don’t read or write that well,” says Clinton Horne, a black community activist. “People got snookered.”
Rogers denies talk that he paid Young to round up votes. (Young didn’t return calls for comment.) And Paulson notes that other staunch segregationists, including the late U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond, successfully curried support from blacks.
“You had these political opportunists who clearly saw the winds of change blowing and knew they either had to adjust or be out.”
A controversial firing
Tony Otte had been Lake Wales city manager since 2001. He pushed for redevelopment of Lincoln Avenue, the once vibrant black business district now reduced to a few struggling stores. He also arranged to have part of Walker Street renamed after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a move that didn’t sit well with Bill Walker, owner of the barber shop where Rogers works.
“It bothered me and a lot of people in town,” says Walker, whose family has been in Lake Wales for generations. “I had one commissioner say, ‘Well, Bill, you’ve got to forget them old people, they’re all dead and gone.’ I said, ‘Martin Luther is dead and gone.’ ”
In June, Mayor Jack Van Sickle introduced a resolution to fire Otte. It said the commission had “lost faith” in him even though he had received good evaluations from everyone but the mayor.
“I was blind-sided,” Otte says.
At a packed public hearing July 29, Rogers insisted he didn’t have a “personal vendetta” against the city manager. But, he said, he was concerned that Otte hadn’t gotten the commission’s okay before using some leftover, city-owned asphalt to repave the parking lot of a local public school.
Eight members of the audience spoke in favor of firing, claiming employee morale was bad and that Otte had mismanaged some projects. But nearly three times as many spoke in support of the city manager, praising his community involvement, his integrity and his hard work.
The last to rise was Narvel Peterson, a black Polk County sheriff’s deputy. As a boy he had seen crosses burning in black neighborhoods. As a deputy, he had warned black youth to stay away from klan rallies for fear of fights — or worse. As a voter, he had been sorely disappointed by Rogers’ election.
Now Peterson looked straight at him.
“Since I was a small kid, I feared what you stood for,” Peterson said. “It’s a new day and I plan to be involved here.”
Victim of bigotry?
It is a Monday afternoon at the City Barber Shop, where Rogers is running his clippers up the thick neck of an alligator trapper.
The TV is tuned to Fox News. In one corner is a stack of Civil War Times, in another a few pistols and rifles for sale. They’re harder to get now, Rogers says, because demand shot up after the 2008 election on fears that an Obama presidency would lead to stricter gun control.
Black residents don’t come in here for haircuts. Neither did the city manager.
“He was a very nice fellow,” Rogers says, “but it was time for a change.”
A month after the 3-2 vote to fire Otte, Rogers is aware of the controversy and the fact that critics will be scrutinizing his every move. He shrugs it off.
“You have a lot of bigots maybe prejudiced against me, very liberal-type people that think anybody who doesn’t agree with them shouldn’t hold public office. I just stand on my record, six years on the board of appeal, a year and a half on the commission. Nobody can say I mistreated anyone.”
Does he have any regrets about his past?
“I think I’d rather have been born rich rather than pretty.”
KLAN John Paul Rogers
NEW CITY COMMISSIONER IN LAKE WALES
Rogers' Klan Past Raises Some Eyebrows
He refuses to discuss it, and there has been no uproar on possible racial divide.
Published: Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 7:34 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 7:47 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 7:47 a.m.
( page 4 of 5 )
'If James Austin heard that, he'd turn over in his grave,' Smith said of the early civil rights leader in Lake Wales who fought to improve the black community.
'If we had known there was a drive out there in the black area to put Rogers in, we'd have been fighting it,' Smith said.
Horne said he has 'a little reservation' that Rogers' election will have a 'total negative effect' on the city's image.
'I would not look at it like it's the end of the world,' said Horne, who is a Lake Wales Charter School trustee.
Horne is upset with Young's actions in the campaign, saying Young 'snookered' many black residents into voting for Rogers.
Horne said a four-way race divided the vote too much and enabled Rogers to claim the victory.
However, Jerome Mack, a retired principal who has long been active in the black community, said he served on the Board of Appeals with Rogers.
'He tried to do justice for Lake Wales — for all the people,' Mack said.
'The fair play and attitude he brought to the board was really positive.'
'We all make mistakes,' Mack said of Rogers' past.
'I think he believes in fair play,' Mack said. 'Judge a man by his deeds. He did present some pretty solid evidence that he was a fair-minded individual.'
Lake Wales lawyer Robin Gibson, who initiated the effort to create the Charter School System in Lake Wales and serves as a trustee, said the issue is 'what John does from now on, not what he did 20 years ago.'
'As a raving optimist, I would say the fact that he had substantial support from the black community is encouraging,' Gibson said.
In general, Gibson said Lake Wales 'has been a community that came through the racial turmoil in good shape — our community works together very well.
'We have had positive race relations and it inured to our benefit.'
Gibson said three of the seven members of the Charter board of trustees are black, as well as Charter Superintendent Jesse Jackson.
KLAN John Paul Rogers
EW CITY COMMISSIONER IN LAKE WALES
Rogers' Klan Past Raises Some Eyebrows
He refuses to discuss it, and there has been no uproar on possible racial divide.
Published: Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 7:34 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 7:47 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 7:47 a.m.
( page 3 of 5 )
In his campaign, Rogers opposed a proposal to levy a fire fee on every property, rather than using property taxes to pay for the operation of the Fire Department. The proposal would hurt residents who now pay little or no property tax because of the $25,000 homestead exemption.
But the Klan background is the issue that still comes up.
'I don't know if the vote is a result of his being forgiven or forgotten,'' said Darryl Paulson, a political scientist from the University of South Florida's St. Petersburg campus.
'Years ago I actually had him speak to my Southern Politics class. 'He was very slick and disarming. They expected a flame thrower, but he didn't talk any of that. He just quietly gave his reasons for why he felt the races should be separated.'
Paulson said he doesn't know if Rogers has had a transformation, but he added that from Rogers' work in the Klan, he had mastered the skills of organization, such as his success with the absentee ballots in Lake Wales.
'But he is not the first former Klan member to seek political office,'' the professor said. The best-known is (U.S. Sen.) Robert Byrd of West Virginia. And the leading civil liberties advocate on the U.S. Supreme Court at the time, Hugo Black, had also been a member of the Klan.
'But that was during a period when that particular Klan wrapped itself more in patriotism and law and order. The United Klans was one of the more violent,' Paulson said.
David Smith, president of the Lake Wales branch of the NAACP, said he personally has no argument with Rogers.
'Believe it or not, John and I have never had any problems,' the retired Polk County sheriff's deputy said. 'He came up around Lake Wales, and I did, too.
'It doesn't bother me as long as he makes a fair decision. That's all I ask for.'
However, Smith noted the NAACP had nothing to do with Young's drive to assist a former Klan leader.
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